Adjustable locking multileaf gauge



C. G. BXGWOOD ADJUSTABLE LOCKING MULTILEAF GAUGE Oct. s, 1940.

Filed March l5, 1940 lhwentor Patented Oct. 8, 1940 FFlvcEf ADJUSTABLE fLocKING MULTILEAF GAUGE I 'Clifton G. Bigwooa, Auml, Mass., assignor to The L. S. Starrett Oompan tion of Massachusetts v ApplicatiqnMarcii i5,

- 2 Claims.l

In the production of multiple bladed gauges such as those of thickness, fillet angle, screw pltch or like character, it has been common for manufacturers to supply the blade members in various assemblies. 'I'hese were usually of pivotal character.

As industry has speeded up, the matter of convenient and vefftient manipulation has become increasingly important. One of the desired improvements has been for a simple, quick-acting blade lock by which the workman could hold any blade in any desired posture relative to the case which with the rest of the .assembly could be used as a handle. Most locks heretofore proposed have been inconvenient to actuate and sluggish on either locking or releasing movements or on both of such manipulations and have not been versatile in manufacture.

My present invention is one of general applicability in combinations of this sort and is producible at low factory cost so as to be generally available to the workmans tool resources. As illustrative of such adaptation I have shown in the accompanying drawing simple illustrative embodiments. Throughout the specification and drawing like reference characters are employed to indicate corresponding parts, and in the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows vention. v

Fig. 2 is a characteristic spread of feeler blades with handle broken away for shortening the View.

Fig. 3 is a view of locking device tilted to expose its cams.

Fig. 4 is a View of one end of the side of a case with parts removed to expose the same.

Fig. 5 shows a section through a pivot assembly.

Fig. 6 shows alocking device with modied form of segmental cam having its ridge in the middle so as to be actuatable in either direction of rotation.

Fig. '7 shows the corresponding cam treatment of the end of the side of a case, and

Fig. 8 suggests the invention as applied to a double ended screw pitch gauge unlocked to allow the partial opening up of a blade.

In the embodiment suggested in Fig. 1 I have shown my improvement as applied to a standard type of so-called feeler gauge. In this the blades I are of the tapered thickness type of ground members of graded range. As indicated, for example, they might be six in number and run .0015, .002, .003, .004, .006 and .015 in thickness, as indicated on the members usually as 15, 11/2,

2, 3, 4 and 6.

a feeler gauge according to my iny, Athol, Mass., a corpora- 194:0, Serial No. 324,131 (Cl. 306- -16) l The members I which Amay be of any/ desired number, are

preferably pivoted in the side walls I0. These are of thin slightly resilient stock, such as sheet metal having a slight resilience or compressibility suicient to alford a yield in the assembly when under locking pressure. 'I'he lenclosing side walls I0 areusually of oblong shape havingv rounded ends II. The members I are shaped to be approximately contained by the walls I0 as a case. 10

The ends I I have aligned apertures or openings which act as receivers for the end studs. Such studs preferably consist of a tubular rivet-like member I2 having a head I3 and a hollow shank I 4 centrally tapped as atl I5 below the Unthreaded 16 mouth of its open end. This shank may be of plain cylindrical external contour providing bearings lfor the blade members I0 which have circular apertures I0' of concentric arrangement with the stud axis and preferably with the radius of the rounded member ends.

'I'he plural blade assembly is held between the ends II of the enclosing case, as indicated in the section of Fig. 5. In this the stud is shown as positioned in clamping axial relation to the assembled blade members and their enclosing case sides. The unheaded end of thev stud shank I4 projects slightly beyond the outer surface of one of the wall ends II and on it is mounted an annular locking disc 20 held in place by a screw I6 whose shank is engaged inthe central tapped portion of the stud so that its head contacts with the outer face of the annular locking disc 20 to hold Vit to the stud end. 'Ihe inner face vof the locking disc 20 is formed with a cam I9 which preferably is made as a pair of concentric arcs. These coact with corresponding cam surfaces I8 on the outer face of the end I I which underlies it.

The cams may face the same way in either direction so that they engage their high parts to lock in one direction of rotation of the vdisc 20 and disengage these parts by rotation in the other direction to unlock the assembly.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have indicated a modified form of the engaging cam surfaces as 28 and 29. These surfaces have a central high (or low) area .so that locking engagement is made by rotation in either direction and the user does not have to remember, or experiment to nd out, which way he turned the locking disc 20 to tighten its grip on the blade assembly in the case end. This is found convenient to use on the double ended assemblies'where the user is apt to turn over the case or reverse its position in 55,

or rounded oi to receive an axial stud member on which are locking discs. 200 which are held in place by the head of a screw IHS.v These locking discs 200 may be on the samesideof the assembly or reversed at 'oppositeends Also,

their direction of rotation may be the same 0r reversed in their action or assembly.

A great variety of types and combinations in the blade or like assemblies can easily be producedin accordance with the desires of the trade or the production range of the manufacturer.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a locking stud for a multiblade gauge, a. case side having a cylindrical aperture adjacent one end and having concentric raised cam surfaces disposed about said aperture, a headed tubular shank stud having a smooth exterior wall and a tapped axial aperture, a screw threaded to engage said tapped aperture and having a Iianged head disposed opposite to said 10 tubular stud end, an annular locking disc having concentric raised cam surfaces rotatably engageable with those of said case side and rotatably mountedon said stud for partial rotative movement whenfunder locking or unlocking ac- 1.5 .tuation. y

2. Alocking .stud structure according to claim l in which the cam surfaces are double ended and have their inclinations oppositely disposed whereby actuation may be effected by rotation of y20 the locking disc in either direction.

CLIFTON G. BIGWOOD. 

